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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · hand · date · spell · safe · bass · root · track

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. root — of a word
  4. hand — in cards
  5. root — the cause
  6. land — to come down
  7. track — to keep track
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. bass — low music
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bass — the fish
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. date — the fruit
  16. track — a song
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. spell — a short time
  19. hand — help
  20. land — ground
  21. land — a country
  22. spell — magic
  23. track — a path
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com